The
first and most important program of your computer is called an operating
system. All
the other programs depend on it. Everything that works in your computer is
in accordance with the operating system. Since our lessons focus on the
popular "personal computer", the operating system we use is
called
There are various types of Microsoft Windows. A type of
Microsoft Windows is referred to as a version. Examples of versions are
Microsoft Windows 3.3, Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows NT Workstation, Microsoft Windows
NT Server, Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition,
Microsoft Windows Millennium, Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional,
Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition,
Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Edition,
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, Microsoft Windows Vista Business,
Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate, Microsoft
How your version of Microsoft Windows was installed in
your computer may depend on how you got the computer. If you bought it in
a store, the company that manufactured (that put together or assembled the
pieces of) the computer also installed the operating system. It you bought it
from a friend, a neighbor or a classified section in the newspaper, it had
probably been installed one way or another. If you are taking a class in a
school or a training center, the administration took care of installing
the operating system. If you work in an office, the operating system
likely has already been installed in the computer you use. If you built your own computer, then you might have
installed the operating system. Regardless, this site assumes that the OS is already
installed in the computer you are using and that you are able to start the
computer.
Because the basic functionality of all of the Microsoft
Windows versions is the same, our lessons don't distinguish the version of
Microsoft Windows you are using. Unless stated otherwise, we simply
consider that you are using a computer on which a Microsoft Windows
version is installed.
While the operating system is the central program that
is used to coordinate everything in your computer, you will usually not be concerned with the
operating system and what it does in your computer. You will use other
programs of your computer.
After the operating system has been installed, the
computer is hardly useful to you and me. To make it useful, other regular
programs, or applications, must be installed in it. There are various
types of applications you will use because of the different everyday
assignments you will receive. Even though some applications can do many
things, most of the time, an application is meant to serve a particular
purpose and it is not realistic to expect one application to possibly do
everything. For this reason, applications are categorized by their roles:
Text Editors: An application is called a text
editor when it is used to create and manipulate simple text. All the
characters display in the same way. When Microsoft Windows is installed,
it also installs the most popular text editor of the operating system
called Notepad:
Word Processors: An application is referred to
as a word processor when its job is to create text and manipulate it but
provide advanced features beyond the capabilities of a text editor.
For example, some parts of a document in a word processor may appear in
different colors, some sections may display pictures. When Microsoft
Windows is installed, it also installs a word processor named WordPad.
Word processing assignments are highly demanding nowadays. For this
reason, most people and companies purchase commercial word processors
published by corporations. Largely the most popular word processor used in
Microsoft Windows is Microsoft Word. Other word processors are Sun
StartOffice, OpenOffice, or Corel WordPerfect:
Spreadsheets: A spreadsheet is an application
that displays small boxes called cells. Microsoft Windows doesn't install
any spreadsheet application. To use such an application, you must install
it or have somebody install it for you. The most popular spreadsheet
application used in Microsoft Windows is Microsoft Excel:
Other popular spreadsheet applications include Corel
Quattro Pro or Sun StarCalc. Other packages include a spreadsheet
application. That's the case for OpenOffice or Microsoft Works
Databases: A database application is an
environment that is used to create, store, and manipulate series of
records. By default, Microsoft Windows doesn't install a database when it
is setup. If you need a database application, you may have to purchase
one. The most popular database application used in Microsoft Windows is
Microsoft Access. Other popular database applications are Corel Paradox or
dBase.
Graphics: A graphics application is used to
create and manipulate graphics. When Microsoft Windows is installed, it
also installs a graphics application named Paint (it used to be called
Paintbrush, in previous versions of Microsoft Windows):
Because of the limitations of Paint, people and
corporations usually purchase commercial graphics applications. Some of
the most popular of them are Adobe Photoshop or Jasc Paint Shop Pro.
|
|
Program Startup
|
Before using an application, it usually must first be
installed in your computer. There are different ways programs get installed in
a computer. If you have a computer that is working already, then some
programs have already been installed. As long as your computer is working
fine, you should have everything necessary to follow our lessons. You can
also install other programs, which means you can purchase them or
get them from somebody.
Computer programs are written by human beings, like
you. This means that the person who writes a program also decides on its
functionality and behavior, which explains why two programs that are
supposed to do the same thing don't do it the same way. This is why,
regardless of your expertise, you need to be acquainted with a particular
program in order to make better use of it. The fact that you don't know a
particular program doesn't say anything about your intelligence or lack of
it. It simply means that you are not familiar with that program.
Once a program is installed, in order to use it, you
must first open it.
There are various ways you can open a program in Microsoft Windows. When
Microsoft Windows gets installed, many programs get installed with it.
Programs get opened or are accessible from various areas, and we will explore
them.
The Start area gives access to most sections or parts of your computer.
The Start program on Microsoft Windows XP is a little different than the
others but the functionality is the same.
There are various ways you can open a program,
sometimes depending on whether you can see it on your desktop. It can also
depend on how the program was installed. If a program is available on your
desktop, you can double-click it, which would open it.
After you have opened a program, it gets
represented
on the taskbar so you would know that a program is "running".
"Launching" a program means starting it. A program is "running" when it
is active on your computer, whether you can see it or it is one of the
programs that are activated on your computer.
All of the instructions given in the following lessons
are for Microsoft Windows XP.
|
Practical Learning: Starting a Program |
- To open the My Computer program, on the Taskbar, click Start and
click My Computer
- Notice that a rectangular object, called a window, displays
- To close the My Computer window, double-click the small picture on
the top-left section of the window
No comments:
Post a Comment